Hasina requests new passport ahead of planned return to Bangladesh
The ousted prime minister has sought new identity documents as she prepares to leave exile in India and surrender before a Bangladeshi court.
By Vanessa Lopez ·
Bangladesh's ousted prime minister, Sheikh Hasina, requested a replacement passport and national identity card on Monday as she seeks to return from self-imposed exile in India. Reuters reviewed a letter conveying the request, her first communication of this kind since she fled Bangladesh in 2024.
The application is the clearest step so far toward carrying out her stated intention to return in December. Her departure followed a deadly uprising that brought her long period in power to an end. More than two years later, her proposed return presents the prospect of renewed political and legal tensions in Bangladesh, where her Awami League party is banned.
Hasina has told Reuters that she intends to surrender before a court upon returning. Her aides said on Monday that they would announce a date after the necessary formalities had been completed. In November 2025, Bangladesh's war-crimes court sentenced her to death in her absence for ordering a deadly crackdown on the student-led uprising. She has denied the charges while in exile.
Lawyers representing Hasina at London's Matrix Chambers addressed the document request to Preeti Rahman, the acting high commissioner at Bangladesh's embassy in Delhi. Their letter cited reports that the interim government and other authorities had revoked Hasina's existing Bangladeshi passport and National Identity Card, and asked for new documents to be issued to their client.
The lawyers sought prompt processing of the applications, citing Hasina's Bangladeshi nationality and obligations under international human rights instruments. Neither Preeti Rahman in Delhi nor spokespeople for Prime Minister Tarique Rahman in Dhaka immediately responded to requests for comment.
Before its ban following Hasina's fall, the Awami League was Bangladesh's largest political party. Many of her colleagues in the party are now either imprisoned or living in self-imposed exile, with some in India and others elsewhere.
Hasina served as prime minister for a total of 20 years over multiple terms and retains support among parts of the population. Her arrival could deepen political divisions while the government in Dhaka works to restore stability after more than two years of upheaval.
A return could also help improve relations between Bangladesh and India. Ties between the two countries deteriorated sharply after New Delhi provided refuge to Hasina.
